Gayle King is in damage control mode after revealing her BFF Oprah Winfrey “had some kind of stomach thing — stomach flu — stuff was coming out of both ends.”
King shared the alarming visual on “CBS Mornings” on June 11, when she stood in for Oprah during the broadcast to reveal her book picks. “I won’t get too graphic,” she continued, perhaps a bit late. “Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV.”
Fast-forward one day later, and King shared photos of herself on Instagram wearing a customized T-shirt emblazoned with the words “OPRAH is FINE! Thank you for asking.” King’s sassy stance — with hands on hips and eyebrows raised — spoke just as loudly as the “all caps” message on the shirt. “She appreciates your concern!” the back of the shirt exclaimed.
“Just got back to the office and 10 people asked me the same question … here’s the answer! And swipe left,” King wrote in her caption.
In the photos, the 69-year-old is standing in front of a large portrait of Winfrey and a promotional sign for her magazine, “Oprah Daily,” sparking a barrage of responses from social media users who jumped into the post’s comments section to throw their support behind King.
“Now we need to get Lady O a shirt that says ‘Whatever Gayle says’ in the front,” one quip read.
After revealing details about Winfrey’s ailments, the piping-hot gossip erupted on social media in record time. “The Color Purple” actress revealed last December that she uses an unidentified weight loss medication. Fans immediately began theorizing her stomach ailments were caused by Ozempic, not the flu.
The controversial injectable drug is designed to treat diabetes, but it also decreases appetite. After several celebrities touted its off-label use for weight loss, the drug experienced a shortage due to increased demand. It’s known to cause several gastrointestinal side effects, including vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
The day after the rumors began swirling, King chatted with the famous talk show host on FaceTime, who confirmed she was sent to the ER but did not stay overnight in the hospital.
“I was in the emergency room, I was so dehydrated. I had a dry mouth and I couldn’t keep enough water down to get hydrated, so I went to the emergency room for that, and that’s just it,” Winfrey stated in the clip shared on Instagram.
Winfrey mentioned that five people in her household had also fallen ill with the same virus, adding that she’s on the mend but not up to speed just yet. “Not 100 [percent]; I’m on my way to 100,” she said while cozied up at home with pillows.
She continued, “Everybody I’ve ever known who has access to my email has called me to say, ‘Are you alright?’ Thanks!”
Despite trying to set the record straight for a second time in her latest post, speculation over Ozempic remains persistent, not to mention many fans believe King overshared about her friend.
“This entire saga is the epitome of your bestie spilling just a liiiittle too much tea,” wrote an Instagram user in the comments. “No the next shirt should say stop telling my besties business,” added another.
“Well … when you dish about your bestie? This is what you get.. and this is what happens on Ozempic,” said one more critic.
But now that “Lady O” is on the mend concerned fans can breathe a sigh of relief and turn their attention to other pressing matters, like where they can order King’s T-shirt. We think @ashbenton1 speaks for many when she asks, “That shirt is Dope! Where can we buy Love @gayleking and @oprah.”
